The use of automated labeling systems for packaging pharmaceutical products, such as pill vials, is known in the art. Examples of such systems include U.S. Pat. No. 6,308,494 B1 to Yuyama et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,036,812 to Williams et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,798,020 to Coughlin et al. In a typical system, a vial is placed into a labeler and held in place by a gripping mechanism. As the vial is rotated, a label is applied to the vial, and the vial is removed from the labeler.
Prior art labeling systems use various types of gripping mechanisms to secure the vial while a label is being applied. The prior art gripping mechanisms, however, do not easily adapt to accommodate vials having different diameters. For example, a system set up to place labels on vials with a small diameter cannot easily be converted to place labels on vials with a larger diameter. In typical prior art labeling systems, the labeling process must be halted and a different sized gripping mechanism substituted to accommodate vials of different diameters. Furthermore, even if the gripping mechanism is capable of accommodating different sized vials, alignment problems (i.e., alignment of the label relative to the vial) are often encountered. Also, vials of different height cannot be labeled in the preferred method which is near the vial opening.
Thus, a need exists for a labeling system having a vial gripping mechanism that can accommodate different sized vials without requiring changes in hardware. Additionally, a need exists for a labeling system that enables labels to be accurately aligned in the preferred location on a vial, regardless of the vial's size.